Pope Francis left the hospital on Friday in high spirits after undergoing a hernia operation. He went to the Vatican, where his health will come under increased scrutiny before a busy summer.
On Friday morning, pope francis exited the Gemelli Hospital in Rome in a wheelchair and thanked the onlookers.
Since his election in 2013, the 86-year-old has experienced several health concerns, including hip and knee discomfort, weight increase, an inflamed colon, and respiratory infections.
On June 7, pope francis underwent a three-hour procedure under general anaesthesia to remove a severe hernia that had developed at the location of a prior surgery scar. The pope has been hospitalized three times since 2021
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According to the doctors, he was joke-telling with the medical staff when he awoke after surgery last week, and the hospital has since released frequent updates outlining his progressive recuperation.
Francis, however, was fast to resume work from his room in the Gemelli hospital in Rome, the preferred location for popes to the point of being referred to as "Vatican III" by John Paul II.
He had remarked that St. Peter's Square was "Vatican number one," the Castel Gandolfo papal vacation palace was "Vatican number two," and the Gemelli was "Vatican number three."
Francis could leave on Friday morning, according to doctors' Thursday statements. The pontiff spent his final day making visits in a wheelchair and giving thanks to the medical staff who took care of him.
The Vatican reported that he also visited the pediatric oncology and child neurosurgery departments, where several patients had given him messages and drawings wishing him a swift recovery.
Everyone will watch Francis to see how he handles returning to a regular schedule after returning home.
